The unexpected nature of the coronavirus pandemic forced households and educational institutions to make rapid adjustments towards online learning. Data by the US Census Bureau indicates over 90% of families with school-going kids are conversant with virtual education. Online coding boot camps are one example of this socially distant learning.
While it’s a convenient solution, some people have had a hard time making the shift. You may experience issues with high-speed internet access and getting the relevant computing devices.
Long before COVID-19 became a global crisis, most institutions offered distance learning. If you had an interest in tech-related courses, online coding boot camps were among the available options. Other than complementing traditional classrooms, online education offers you various benefits.
It allows you the autonomy to plan your schedule around other activities, including full-time employment. It's also easier to create some quiet time for studying. Although most students would still prefer in-person learning, technology is a worthy alternative under particular circumstances.
The pandemic caused various other challenges in addition to distance. Nearly all students and guardians experienced trauma, illness, and economic hardships. However, most still hold a positive outlook despite the unprecedented disruption to their education routine.
A study by the National Education Association showed that even though most learners reported social-economic challenges, they were mostly doing fine. Up to 88% believe their instructors are doing a superb job of adapting to the new reality.
An encouraging 76% also said the quality of education is high, including 74% of full-time online students. What's more, a majority of respondents believe they can positively change the country through online education.
While technology has vastly improved over the years, it's still not flawless. If you attend online coding boot camps and other types of virtual courses, you're likely to face these challenges:
Most teachers and organizations had to move their services online at short notice and without adequate training. They had to use multiple tools to manage schedules, supervise classes, and respond to parents' concerns, among other tasks. A comprehensive virtual education management system that streamlines all these processes is costly for most institutions.
Not all students own the necessary gadgets for online learning. Even if you do, chances are you share them with siblings. This situation makes it hard to customize your online learning experience. The sudden demand for virtual learning systems also caused most platforms to have connectivity and quality issues due to congestion.
While online coding boot camps have been around for years, not everyone was ready for the new normal of virtual education. Even tech-savvy learners got overwhelmed by the sudden shift to new technology during the pandemic. You've probably come across a funny or embarrassing story about the challenges of using Zoom and related platforms.
Most students managed a smooth transition to online education, but their vision and hearing-impaired counterparts faced additional challenges. They couldn't immediately receive the services of interpreters and other special assistants. Fortunately, you can implement video transcription and AI to make their experience more enjoyable.
While rushing to implement online learning solutions, most institutions were unaware of their privacy implications. The fact that you needed multiple tools instead of a single secure platform also made the situation worse. Bad actors can exploit loopholes in these systems to steal data or introduce malware into networks.
One benefit of in-person training is that you get to learn while physically interacting with other students and teachers. Although virtual learning solves a problem, it doesn't address isolation and other psychological concerns. It's also harder to use facilities, such as science labs, or reap the benefits of hands-on training.
An effective learning management system (LMS) plays a central role in solving these online education problems. It should provide various features to help students, teachers, and other stakeholders. They include custom registration, as well as social media and calendar integration. Others are an extensive knowledge base, student analytics, mobile compatibility, and internal messaging.
Although research on the impact of virtual education is ongoing, the program is achieving its objectives. When coronavirus containment measures took effect, most parents had various concerns about their children's educational wellbeing. They were worried about distractions, falling behind academically, broken social connections, and poor emotional health.
The switch has had its challenges, but it allows you to reap the following benefits:
If you work full-time or have an otherwise busy schedule, online learning allows you to learn at a suitable pace. This system enables a work, life, and school balance without skipping some events. In traditional classroom setups, some students fail to grasp concepts because they're afraid to seek clarification. Online learning allows you to go over the resources as many times as it takes to understand the topic.
Whether you’re pursuing a marketable course at a reputable coding school or other additional training, you’ll need top-notch time management skills. Online learning allows you to meet work, personal, and school deadlines. You can learn while commuting, during breaks, or over the weekends. The motivation to succeed is higher if you can set a customized schedule.
Virtual learning allows introverted students to concentrate better. That’s because they don’t experience the anxiety associated with in-person interactions. You can also choose a quiet learning environment that’s free of distractions to maximize productivity.
Online learning forces you to acquire valuable tech skills that you'd otherwise ignore. Once you get over the initial hurdles, you'll discover that these skills are applicable in several scenarios. Examples include sharing media with classmates or colleagues, collaborating with teammates in different time zones, and setting up video conferencing software. These skills also give you a broader global perspective that will benefit future career prospects.
A flexible schedule allows you to set aside time for rewarding extra-curricular activities such as workouts. Your brain also benefits from better sleep patterns. Ultimately, a healthy physical and mental state improves learning outcomes.
In addition to the educational benefits of virtual learning, it also has developmental impacts. The school equips your children with crucial emotional and social skills that they'll make use of into adulthood. Therefore, the switch to online education can affect them differently.
Let’s study these effects in detail:
Online learning doesn’t provide similar social benefits to in-person education. Children are likely to be exposed to various disruptions. If you’re not keen on your child’s participation, they might skip virtual classes and browse the internet or play online games instead.
Most students rank interaction with peers as the highlight of their schooling experience. Although online coding boot camps and similar alternatives try to replicate this feeling, it's not always authentic. It's also not easy for them to express emotional cues through video. Other social concerns include hours of isolation while learning and the resulting lack of motivation.
It's not all doom and gloom. Some students thrive under the reduced scrutiny that comes with reduced social pressure. A physical learning environment can induce anxiety in shy learners, as well as facilitating bullying. Some also appreciate that they don't have to meet expectations on looks, sports participation, and other social activities. Online platforms provide a level field through which everyone can participate equally and ask for help without attracting unwanted attention.
As a parent, you may have concerns about your children’s mental wellbeing while pursuing online education. Most schools have mental services, which are not accessible while learning from home. The challenge is to be on the lookout for any behavior that might indicate mental distress.
There's a likelihood of learners suffering from stress due to the abrupt change in their learning schedule. You could also feel down if you discover that the online experience doesn't live up to your expectations. If left unchecked, stress could morph into depression.
While online education has several benefits, it can also have adverse emotional effects on learners. Children who previously excelled in school may experience a dip in confidence due to inadequate attention from their teachers.
Learners may also be unable to concentrate on their studies because they have other worries, such as a sick family member. Other triggers include financial hardships and a loss that affects the whole family.
These situations might leave you feeling inadequate if you don’t know the best way to support your loved ones socially and emotionally. Just as with in-person schooling, online education platforms should consider the mental health of students.
In the early days of the pandemic, households scrambled to provide a decent environment for remote work and schooling. Although it isn't easy to make everyone comfortable, every family member ultimately gets used to the new situation.
As a parent, you'll have to handle new roles in addition to your work tasks. Examples include helping the kids with class preparations, schoolwork, and interaction with teachers.
According to statistics, parents spend up to 2 and a half hours daily on these school-based activities since virtual education gained momentum. Some even scale back their professional undertakings to dedicate more time to school-provided resources.
These drastic changes have piled more pressure on families already dealing with the health and economic effects of the pandemic. However, there are several positive outcomes of online coding boot camps and other online learning solutions.
One of them is better personal relationships because parents bond while helping their children with schoolwork. You'll have a better understanding of your child's academic capabilities while also fostering closer connections with their teachers.
Just as with other types of content creation, online courses must be high quality and engaging to serve their purpose. Whether you’re a teacher or a student, the following tips will help you create a memorable learning experience:
Another crucial online learning tip involves creating multiple content formats to cater to different tastes. Make the courses more dynamic by including features such as motion and zoom. You can also make lessons interactive by creating quizzes and additional resources for interested students.
Virtual learning might have picked up during the pandemic, but it was steadily growing even before. What will happen to this innovation once students resume in-person classes? Given how successful it has become, most educational institutions will retain it as a complementary option.
There are also ongoing debates over which parts of the current educational model that digital technology can supplement. It's possible to present lectures that require little human presentation in media formats that students can review at their convenience.
This option also allows institutions to redirect resources to more practical solutions such as research, mentorship, and problem-solving. For example, your kids can sign up for online coding boot camps, then attend in-person classes for more advanced programs. This convenience allows all stakeholders in the education sector to reap the benefits.
The future looks set for a hybrid model or a completely online learning experience. There are various emerging technologies that instructors can utilize to provide customized courses. They include AI, cloud computing, and increasing compatibility with mobile devices.
As technology becomes more affordable and widespread, more students will benefit from these innovations. In addition, providers should offer extensive awareness to ensure mass adoption by the target market. For online learning to be successful, tech-savvy environments such as universities must address the digital divide.
This effort should include faculty members, some of whom are yet to embrace the new concept. It will enable students to benefit from the experience of older lecturers and teachers. Educational institutions should comprehensively train their staff members to ensure the students receive the highest quality.
By offering online coding boot camps and virtual courses, such organizations create a single resource that caters to countless students. That benefit contrasts with in-person lectures, which limit the number of students an instructor can teach. Online course providers only need to update their content intermittently to conform to the prevailing standards.
As with every emerging technology, it’s normal to worry about the long-term effects of online learning on mental development. Apart from disrupting the traditional classroom, there are legitimate concerns about its social and emotional consequences.
However, without these virtual solutions, the world would have come to a standstill at the peak of the pandemic. Technology allowed us to enjoy a semblance of normalcy as we observed COVID-19 containment measures. As software providers and hardware manufacturers optimize their products, online students are bound to benefit from the ensuing efficiency.
In the future, education service providers will prefer purely virtual solutions because they'll offer better results than physical classrooms. Integration with VR/AR, AI, machine learning, and other technologies will make the learning experience more immersive. Students will be able to understand concepts better because they'll access highly customized content.
The traditional education system has remained unchanged for centuries. Online coding boot camps and other virtual learning solutions represent the most comprehensive update so far. It has enabled the decentralization of information on a scale that was unheard of in the past.
Anyone with an internet connection can access their desired course from the comfort of their living room. After considering the pros and cons of this solution, the benefits far outweigh any adverse effects. Online learning will continue to impact the world positively for the foreseeable future.